The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-01-13

street, which room he had been occupying
/ Tor some days both before and after M
arrival.
AT this point in his narrative felt that
mi hit as well hold my hands for the hand
cuffs and beg him 10 take me away as
quietly possible, but with an impulse of
commno sense which 1 could never salts
factorfiy explain to myself, / put in prac-
tice my favorite axiom that ''silence is
golden, and let him amble uninterruptedly
ON.
He then proceeded TO tell me he had
Travelled on the same train with me from
Philadelphia, had intended approaching me
there, but concluded to wait, hoping he
might hear something from Philadelphia
or Washington that would enable him to
spare me the annoyance of the present visit
And so with many apologies he begged
to state his errand He already knew |
had merely gone to the house in Philadel-
phia to visit persons boarding there and
he came to me in the hope that as the fam
lily were strangers to me and as the crime
was one attended with no extenuating cir
cumstances. / might be willing to aid JUS
tice by telling him if l had seen while
there any person resembling the photograph
which he produced, and which really
all excellent likeness of Tom
By this time l had recovered my presence
Of mind, and with an assumption of dignity
that would have done honor to Sir Leices-
ter Dedlock even Dir. Turveydrop him
self, l replied briefly in the negative and
with perfect truth, for after L had turned
Tom out his own photograph would not
have recognized him, | reputliated and
repealed the right of the detective TO APP
proach me upon a business with which
| had nothing whatever to do. | pointed
out To him gently but firmly the great
improperly of his conduct and permitted
him to bow himself out of my presence, a
most Apologize and detected member of
the finest -
ened, 1 hoped l had done with the affair
forever.
But now | have too tell the most singu-
lar incident i'll this little adventure
My next engagement was i'll Buffalo
When in that city | always stopped with
friends who lived in a large rambling old
mansion in the suburbs of the town and
which overlooked the lake.
One night l was awakened, not suddenly
or with any sense of alarm, but naturally
IA light sleeper naturally awakes at the
entrance of any one i'll their room.
BY the light of the gas. which burn
ing low, | saw an old lady enter my room
She was dressed in Quaker garb. par
ticulariv noticed her apron. kerchief and
her cap-they We're 80 snow white. soft
and smooth.
She looked about her ~ if trying to re-
member where she was. or like person
sometimes looks about a room which l.
strange To them Then, seeing where |
lay watching her. she came to my bedside
sat down in an armchair which stood be
side il. and looking calmly anil tenderly in
NV face, she said i'll a low murmuring
voice, but in tones clear and exquisitely
sweet May God do to YOU and yours as
you have done unto me and mine-unto nv
first born, my Benjamin, my best beloved
Then she rose, leaned over and pressed a
long. loving kiss on my forehead and went
SLOWLY toward the door, but she seemed TO
find her way without her eyes, for out o
doors she went without their help and to the
last Blended their light on me"
The visit affected me most pleasantly
was familiar with the Quaker custom of
speaking when the spirit moves" | sup
posed that sweet old Quakeress was. like
myself, guest of the family, and looked
forward with pleasure to meeting her next
day and 80 went comfortably off to sleep
How shall | describe what felt next
day when learned that no old Quakeress
was, had been, in the house
l knew / had not been dreaming. though
all the family said had 1t was Just one
of the many mysteries that come to Us in
life, for which no explanation is vouchsafed
us. cry out as we may.
few days after my mysterious visit |
received letter telling me among other
things that Toms mother had laid down
her burden of grief and life and was at rest.
She had desired them to send me her pho
tograph. ON which she had written me a
message and which they inclosed.
1 looked at it. There the picture Of
the woman who had come to my bedside.
And ON the reverse side, written in "A feeble,
tremulOus hand, the words she had
then uttered to me.
The rest is silence. Eytinge in sun
dav Mercury.